Company Man
by Sliwolf
Summary: The stargate has been disclosed to the public and now a mad dash is on to procure all the valuable tech and resources. It's up to one team to decide how far is too far.
1. Chapter 1

Company man.

Chapter 1- Captain Andrews

Warning some strong language

The pain spreads slow and steady engulfing my arm and chest in its flameless fire. I felt the air leave my lungs as I land on the cold hard floor. My only instinct was to crawl away from the sound of gun fire and explosions. The blood flowed freely from the ragged hole in my shoulder and I roared in frustration and pain, as I pulled myself closer to the active gate.

All of a sudden all everything I had been taught and everything I had experienced deserted me as the pain drove me insane. I finally collapsed my head swimming and I look up at the sky. The sky there was odd, it has an greenish tint and a gas giant was visible above me. I don't know how long I lay there before I saw felt some ones strong hand start pulling me towards the gate.

I never did find out who dragged me through, but they did and some how I made it. My shoulder was shot after that, several expensive surgeries later, my shoulder aches almost all the time, but especially in the rain. The Marines and the SGC gave me a good luck and farewell leaving me with out a job for the first time since I was eighteen. That's when shit really got interesting.

XXXXXXXXX

I make my way up the stairs to my crappy apartment in the middle of a really crappy part of town, my faithful pit-bull "Charles" at my side. I had gone out to get some milk and dog food, it was far too late to be out in this neighborhood but what can you do.

I was at the front door when I noticed that it had been unlocked and was slightly ajar. I give Charles a hand signal to stay, and I take my my Barretta out of its holster and got ready to enter my home. My shoulder was aching but I ignored it and I walked in. I swept the entrance and the small kitchen finding nothing I move the the last enclosed space the bathroom.

Suddenly I hear the toilet flush and the sink go on as someone washed up. "I am coming out but you really don't need the gun." Said a voice from the other side of the door before I heard the knobb turned. In the doorway stood was an older man starting to push sixty, with thinning blond hair, and the evidence of his easy living was obvious all over him. The expensive looking charcoal suit looked just a touch too tight, and his second chin rolled over the top of his collar.

"Hi, I am Max." He said smiling ad expending a hand, his smile was too wide giving "Max" a look like a fat crocodile. I kept my weapon painted at this chest "Hello, Max. Why are you in my f*cking house?" Max simply shrugged "had to use the bathroom and I got tired of waiting for you down stairs, I hope you don't mind" he said keeping his hands up and not moving too much.

"Why where you waiting for me?" I asked my shoulder aching from holding my weapon in the same position for so long. "Yes I was, I am going to reach into my pocket slowly and give u my card." he did as he said and handed me a small white business card with "Maxwell Jeremiah Craig, recruiting specialist."

"I am here to recruit you, we think you are perfect to head up a special project." I was now truly confused. "So you broke in to give me a job?" The fat man shook his head "No I am here to offer you a job, I broke into piss. Weren't you listening?"

"Stupid me."

"Its okay your a Marine, you guys don't need brains."

"I still have a gun."

"How about I just tell you about the job huh?"

I shook my head and motioned him to sit in the big reclining chair in the main room, that acted as my bedroom and living room. The fat crocodile dropped into the chair and got comfy. "This is nice, I always want to get one but I never know if its really worth it." I gave him a cross look and shrugged "Sorry, I have a tendency to go on." he cleared his throat "Now that the president has declassified the Stargate program a week ago, our economy has skyrocketed. All of a sudden new industries are popping up everywhere. This is the greatest opportunity for profit the world has seen since the industrial revolution. There is only one problem, The SGC still controls who gets the tech and when they get it." I put up one hand to stop him, "And let me guess some people don't want to wait." Mr. Craig smiled "I take it back you might have a brain after all. You are correct, some don't want to wait. I represent some of those people. We want to set up our own retrieval program, with you as its team leader. That's the job. Interested?"

My brain screamed at me that this was a bad idea but the words that came out of my mouth where "When do I start."

A/N: This is the first chapter in a new series let me know what you all think


	2. Chapter 2

Company man

Chapter 2- Icarus

Two days later me and Charles where in Alaska, sitting in a large waiting room waiting for my new lord and masters to summon me. The whole thing was colored a deep maroon and the furniture was super modern and white. It felt pretentious to me, but I am just a grunt.

In the back ground a radio was playing. "Today President McKinny, addressed the UN general assembly consented to global wide pressure to allow other nations a fair chance to use the Stargate and the fruits of it. The president that the US would be partnered with the European Union, China, Japan, Russia each shouldering a portion of the immense cost of the program.

When interviewed, President of The EU commission, Jose Barroso, stated that it could be pledging two hundred billion dollars a year, seven hundred specialist ranging from botany to astrophysicist , and up to three thousand troops pulled from Elite units through out the Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declined to say how much they will be spending but he did state that as the second most experienced nation in the Stargate program that they would be a large and important part of any future endeavors. Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao has pledged an additional three hundred fifty billion a year, and five thousand troops, making them the second largest partner behind the United States."

I cant help but smirk at that, I remember when colonel O'Neill had an almost child like tantrum when he was forced to accept the Russian's involvement in the program I wonder how he will take this? Not well I imagine wouldn't want so many "Amateurs" tagging along and messing up everything. I suspect more though, the Colonel was a patriot. No matter the jokes and the wise ass attitude he loved his country. He would have to he spent most of his adult life fighting for it. So anything that threatened his nation made him unhappy.

As I was musing to mysel

f, Max slithered into the room all big smiles and big belly. "Micheal! How was the trip?" I almost growled at his cheery disposition "Long." I said shortly.

"I see you brought the dog." he said as he moved to pet Charles, who immediately started to growl. The fat man pulled his hand away quickly. "Yeah we are kind of a matched set, you want me, then you take the dog too." Max looked at Charles with a hesitant eye "Great." he said his voice full of sarcasm. "Follow me please, and keep the dog on a short leash if he pisses on something here it would ruin multibillion dollar equipment." he lead and I followed as I had a collar and leash.

We walked down a long hallway, to a elevator that took a long while to reach its destination. "What is this place?" I asked "There wasn't any kind of sign up front." Max chuckled and I wanted to hit him " That's cuz we don't want anyone to know we are here, silly bones. So as you probably know before the program went public there were certain companies that were contracted to build the equipment they needed. Well eventually people pieced things together. This place " he said sweeping a had over the elevator doors as they open "Is where we put all that knowledge to practical purposes." I walked out on to a small balcony with stairs on one side and looked down in awe.

Bellow me was a ship unlike any other I had ever seen. It had similar features to one of the _Prometheus_ styled cruisers that the nations of the world were building, but it was sleek and smooth as where the other ships was boxy. It was smaller as well maybe half the size of the cruiser, but it looked fierce. He could see Two large guns mounted on a turret near the center of the ships hull. It had two pods on each side like its larger cousin but like the rest of the ship they where swept back and sleek. It was covered in a strange black armor, that seemed to absorb the light. On the side near the front of the ship was the name "Icarus" in large red letters.

"Shes beautiful" was all I could say as I stared. "That's what I said" Came woman's voice from down below. Standing next to the intimidating ship was a rather small woman. "That is Cassandra Hernandez, Captain of the Icarus" We made our way and I gave the petite woman a crisp salute even if it did hurt my shoulder, Charles just sat next to me and wagged his tail.

She wasn't really classically pretty but I think she had some redeeming qualities. Her nose was slightly too big, but I thought it gave her face character. She had large dark eyes, that could suck a man right in. he hair was a deep chestnut, shiny and healthy... I never stood a chance.

She looked at me and started to laugh "At ease there soldier, we aren't in the military any more. No need to salute and such." Her face shifted as she looked me in the eye "One thing that does remain, on my boat my word is law, is that clear?" she asked, her eyes never moved from mine. I didnt blink and simply said "Yes ma'am." She chuckled at that "I think I am gonna like you Mr. Andrews."

Max was beaming "so glad that you two get along well. Now Captain Hernadez I leave Mike in your very capable hands. Show him your baby." He chuckled as he left but I hardly noticed my eyes where still on the ship.

At this distance I could see that the lines where perfectly smooth, not a single ripple or joint could be seen or felt as I ran my hand down the hull. "How was this built? I cant seen any welding how were these put together?" That captain smiled at me like a kid in a candy store, she had a very nice smile. "Microwelding, its a technique that uses nanites to weld together two pieces of metal, it creates a microscopic weld that holds the place together. There is no weakness in the metal it might as well all be a single piece of armor." The fact that they had access to such advanced tech surprised me at first but it made sense, they did after all build a ship under ground.

"What is the armor made of?" I asked my curious growing I had a million questions. "I have no idea its a complete secret even from me but I have seen the tests done on this stuff. This ship could survive a small nuclear device even with out its shield, with its shields no single nuclear weapon could get through. Even a direct hit would only dent our shields." As she spoke she started to stroke the ship and went on, "But shes not all armor she had two Goa'uld style guns and another two large caliber Rail guns." I looked up at the two huge guns "how large caliber are we talking?" Cassandra was smilling now from ear to ear " She can launch three a fifty pound projectile at a quarter the speed of light, a second, It will tear up any unshielded ship or ground installation." Her smile turned fierce "and shes fast, her top impulse speed is seventy percent the speed of light, faster than even the new _Theseus_ class frigate they are building." I noded my head my eyes full of wonder... and the ship was great too.

"She has hyper speed, and instead of wiring she has a working nural pathways that feed information at the speed of a biological mind." She turned to look at me then "We copied it from some of the Wraith samples the Atlantis guys brought back." I blinked at that "Wait so this thing has a nervous system?"

"Yep."

"Cool"

She moved to the open hatch near the middle of the ship, "Come on then its time to meet your new grunts."

A/N: okay some things that I will clarify now, first off I realize that my first chapter I never gave my character a name . but now I have. I will be taking it down and rewrite it.

Now concerning the actually setting of the story, in my mind the Goa'uld got beat too easy so in my imagining Earth is still at war with them, but things like the Lucian alliance is around because of the Goa'ulds decline in the last few years (ie. Cuz Sg1 keeps killing them). There is a Strong Jaffa rebellion but they are just coming together as a nation.


	3. Chapter 3

Company man

Chapter 3- Bigger

The inside of the _Icarus_ was as impressive, Charles found it all fascinating at he sniffed every bulkhead that we passed. I looked around "They didn't us the mircowelding on the inside?" I asked, The captain shook her head as she led me to where my men where waiting for me. "Nope, each one of these bulkheads can be sealed to prevent decompression to the rest the ship." As we walked we were passed by people running in the same style jumpsuit that the captain was wearing. "Whats the crew compliment?" I asked looking at the people passing me. "Thirty-five, plus your marines."

She led me down several corridors before coming to a set of large double wide doors. She tapped a wall console and revealed my marines. There where around twenty five of them, all standing in a neat line standing at attention. They wore matching black BDU's with no marking on them. Most of them where past there thirtieth birthdays. These where veterans people who had seen was for years and had survived by being hard and smart.

One of them with the look of a senior NCO gave me a smart salute, "Sir, Hector Hernandez, the company is ready for inspection." I returned the salute "At ease." He was a big man well over 6 foot he towered over me and everyone in the room. I look to the diminutive Captain "Any relation?" I asked . She smirked "My baby brother."

I looked from the giant to Cassandra and back. The similarities between them where obvious now same eyes, same too large nose. "Hmm" was all I said as I moved to inspect my men and women. I recognized Martian Lagousky, and Angelina Cross instantly, both were former SG team members. There were of a dozen different countries represented here. They were a fine bunch ready for anything that this new and dangerous world could throw at them. Or at least they thought so.

"You look like a fine bunch I will give out team assignments with in the day, until then you are dismissed." they all saluted and left to their tasks. All except Hector who waited for the others to leave before he came up to me. He held out a flash drive for me "these are their files, full history, psych evaluations, different test scores and qualifications." I took it and nodded at the big man, he saluted again and left the room his back ramrod straight.

Captain Hernandez moved next to me as her brother left "He was a Ranger, you know, but they kicked him out." I made a note to ask about that later, "This way I will show you to your quarters, you have the biggest bunk on the ship."

As it turned that was a joke, all the bunks where the same size and that size was small. Like everything on human built ships space was at a premium. There simply just wasn't enough space for some one to have a large bed. The one thing I did get was privacy I didn't have to share. The others where four to one of these twelve by twelve square rooms. Charles entered the room slowly sniffing the air curiously, spotted the bed and jumped up. Falling a sleep almost immediately.

"Well here you are one deluxe presidential suite." I chuckled, "Thanks ." The captain looked around then said "Well, I guess I'll let you get comfortable." and she made her retreat leaving me in what would be my home for the next few months. Or how ever long it took for someone to catch on and put an end our little operation.

There was a locker near, my small sink with a note taped on it. I moved closer and saw that my name was on it. I took it down and read it to myself. I was from Max.

Inside was a collection of weapons and armor different than anything I had seen before. I reach in and pull out the first large bundle and find a rifle covered in star patterned wrapping paper like you would see under a Christmas tree. I rip it open and expose a small bullpup rifle. As explained in Max's letter it was a X-223, the nest generation of weapon for the SGC. It fired a 5.56 mm NATO round like the M16, and other NATO assault riffles but was nearly half the size and a quarter the weight. This was due to the Trinium used in the construction making it super strong with out adding weight.

The nex wrapped item was a large pistol , a Glock 20 with the large ten millimeter, making it much more powerful than the smaller nine millimeter. The powers that be where finally getting smart, They understood that to taking down a raging Unas you would need more than a nine millimeter round to put it down. From what little information I got from old SGC buddies, they where being armed with larger caliber weapons to deal with the multitude of threats that they would have to deal with.

The final package contained probably the most important piece of gear, body armor. It was a reactive armor meant not only to spot penetration from bullets and other projectiles, but would dissipate the heat of a staff blast. It was similar to the Kull armor that Anubis drones would wear. It was no where near as effective but it would be enough to keep us alive.

In the foot locker near my bed I found a a set of black BDU's like the ones my men where wearing, and a leg holster for my new pistol. I changed and strapped my new holster as I had seen my men do.

My shoulder was dully aching but I didnt care, I was back in gear ready to face a hostile universe. I was in heaven.


End file.
